You can also download the PDF below, if you’re not on Ravelry. The PDF includes a visual chart as well as some handy tips on how to keep your place when making the waves. There are also instructions on how to make this into a longer proper scarf if you fancy that instead of a little scarflette. I have been wearing mine around my office the past few days, as I am trying to be good and not turn on the heating during the daytime. I am not sure why but I have some kind of fixation with this at the moment… I guess it’s the environmentalist in me or perhaps the miserly Miko showing up!

Anyway, here’s the pattern… and if your name is Amber, please DO crochet this as you will have Amber’s Waves of Gray!

Waves of Gray Neckwarmer / Scarf Pattern (PDF)

Downloads ahoy!

I picked up the book again before Christmas this year, and I was determined to figure it out. The funny thing was that once I did, the project was really easy and crocheted up in no time. The main problem with the book is that Doris makes reference to other patterns in the book, and you have to refer back and forth to multiple pages in order to make the project. The other issue is that there is no clear indication of which bit you follow to make a gauge swatch, and on any clothing gauge is super-important. But once I eventually pinpointed the bits with which to make the gauge swatch, I was able to figure out the rest, and I am really pleased with this, my first crocheted garment with sleeves and such. I am now actually quite a fan of Doris’s patterns, so I reckon I will definitely make something else from the book soon.

Icy Hombre Poncho Pattern – free download (1MB PDF)

If you have any questions about the pattern, please feel free to leave a comment below and I will try to answer ASAP.

Cosy & Comfy Mittens, with Flaps

This is a variation from the pattern in the book:
* note all stitch references are British method as the book is British *

Work the pattern as written up until Row 21 (you should end on a popcorn round).

Row 22: Basically you want to crochet as written the half of the mitten that sits on the back of the hand (the side with the popcorns) and make a chain along the palm. The order of these depends on whether you are working the left or right mitten: Work 17 st as written along the back/top of the hand, then ch 17 and slip stitch to attach (or do the ch first and then the normal pattern bit on the other mitten). The ch form the front of the flap (on the palm side).

Row 23+: Continue pattern as written, working the htr* stitches into the chain you made as if it were a part of the normal mitten. You will end up with a full-width hole on your palm, but otherwise the mitten will look as expected.

After you finish the mitten as written in the pattern, you need to go back and cast on to crochet the fingerless portion, which will cover the hole in the palm and also add some warmth to your fingers when you have the flap open. The fingerless portion is worked in the round in double-crochet* (or single crochet for us Americans!).

• Step 1: Fold open the flap, and find the row where the flap ‘officially’ starts (in other words, where the fold is). You will be crocheting into the back of the fabric on this row. For now, just leave it open but know where you are going.
• Step 2: Join yarn at one side of the hand: pinkie-finger side on the left mitten, index-finger side on the right. This is so you can crochet clockwise along the palm edge first.
• Step 3: Work dc* across the palm, and when you reach the bit where the flap starts, carefully continue your dc stitches into the back of the fabric where the fold is, making sure you follow the same row around. TIP: You may want to skip the first/last stitches on the corners of the fold, as this makes the fingerless portion fit a bit more snugly and therefore makes it easier to open and close the flap.
• Step 4: Continue working in the round, making as many rows as you want/need in order to cover the hole and extend over the base of your fingers. Stop and try them on every now and then. Keep going until you are happy, but not too long or you might find it difficult to move your fingers around and use the flap. TIP: If you find that the palm portion of the mitten dips down a little lower than you’d like, you can add an extra 1/2 row to the palm, and end up on the opposite side of the palm from where you started.

That’s it – enjoy your mittens and play Angry Birds in the snow without taking your gloves off!

Just a really quick little project to while away a few minutes one evening: it’s one of the 100 Flowers to Knit and Crochet from the self-titled book. The pattern is called Centifolia Rose and the yarn I used was some freebie yarn that came with a crochet magazine. It really only takes a matter of minutes to make this, and I reckon it would be a great way to use up leftover yarn.

I made mine into a brooch, but there are loads of clever ideas for what to do with this flower (combined with others from the book) over at Ravelry.

The yarn is a yarn with a conscience: not only is it made from the very sustainable bamboo plant, but the company Be Sweet is based in South Africa and provides women who live in economically depressed regions of South Africa with a fair wage. The artisans who make and dye the yarn are primarily from the Xhosa tribe who live in the Cape Town area. Be Sweet also donate a portion of their profits to support educational development in South Africa. I reckon this makes the yarn a perfect choice for Liz (my mother-in-law) as she spent her working life as a schoolteacher.

The photo shows the work in progress, but as I was crocheting right up until Liz’s birthday party, I didn’t get a chance to take a photo of the finished product. I will have to ask Liz to model it sometime so I can post a pic here. Until then, you can see other pics of the same pattern on Ravelry.

UPDATE: Finally got some photos of my mother-in-la wearing the shawl, so here you go!

The original pattern in the book just calls for the front and back of the head to be sewn together, but other books from the Magic Scrubber series have a sponge inside, so I decided to add a sponge to this one, too. It certainly makes it a bit more robust and I reckon a bit more useful as well. As the yarn is pure acrylic, it should be pretty hardwearing, faster to dry than natural fibres, and it should last a good long while.

I decided to give this as a gift to my friend Nettie, who has a pronounced love of all things slightly bizarre – especially plastic dinosaurs. I reckon there’s no one better to appreciate something like this!

One of these days I’ll get someone to take a photo of me wearing it, as it does look rather pretty when worn. The cool thing is that grey goes with everything, so I know it will get a lot of wear. Plus it’s s very soft merino wool which feels great on the skin, and it has a beautiful drape.

The pattern is one I found on Ravelry here – a very popular pattern, and for good reason. If you can face the boredom of the long project, then it’s really pretty easy and the results are fab.

I chose the owl pattern, and made it with felt eyes instead of plastic ones, as it would be for a newborn baby. I also added a rattle inside, by putting some beads into a little plastic spherical container and nestling this in the stuffing. The container is from one of those vending machines that looks like a gumball machine, which you sometimes find in petrol station loos (usually containing a wet wipe or a fuzzy brush). I knew it would come in handy for something & I hate throwing away plastic, so why not recycle it!

I think this one turned out just as yummy as the last one, and I like the pink frosting with the brown chocolatey cake…. yummmmmm. The only trouble with these darned cupcakes is that they make me want to eat real cake!